The Blog

The CME keeps adding products and now they have one of interest to the dairy and food industry.

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange has announced that it will launch futures for a new dairy contract, CME Cash-Settled Butter™. The new contracts are scheduled to begin trading on Monday, September 19, 2005, and will be the exchange’s first dairy futures contract to trade exclusively on the CME® Globex® electronic trading platform.

CME Cash-Settled Butter futures are designed to meet the needs of the food industry, which have exposure to butterfat risk, but do not want to risk physical delivery. The contract will also differ in that the trade unit will be 20,000 pounds of Grade AA butter versus 40,000 pounds for the existing CME Butter futures contract. The contract will be cash settled based upon the USDA monthly weighted average price in the U.S. for butter.

For more information visit www.cme.com/butter.

If you’re a dairy producer who was affected by last year’s hurricanes, the sign-up is underway and will continue until September 9 for the 2004 Dairy Disaster Assistance Payment (DDAP) Program, which provides up to $10 million to assist dairy producers who experienced losses due to the 2004 hurricanes.

U. S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns says that “last year, Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne severely impacted dairy producers in the southeastern United States. This program will provide much-needed financial relief to producers who suffered dairy production and milk spoilage losses.”

The 2004 Dairy Disaster Assistance Payment Program is authorized by the Military Construction Appropriations and Emergency Hurricane Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2005.

Many dairy producers incurred devastating decreases in production due to cattle losses, stress on producing cows, and milk that had to be dumped due to lack of electricity, closed milk plants and damaged containment equipment. DDAP will help address dairy producers’ 2004 calendar-year losses by providing payments to offset part of the commercially marketed milk losses incurred to in the United States.

To be eligible, the loss must have occurred in a county declared a disaster by the President in 2004 due to hurricanes. Dairy producers in counties contiguous to an approved county are not eligible. Eligible dairy producers must apply for program assistance by Sept. 9, 2005, at local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices.

There are hundreds of commercial exhibitors at World Dairy Expo, not counting numerous sponsors and supporting organizations. The man who coordinates it all is sales manager John Rozum. In fact, it was John who called on ZimmComm, Marketing & Communications, to work in cooperation with Expo on this weblog!

Now you can “meet” John (l) and listen to my interview with him recently at the World Dairy Expo headquarters.

You can listen to the interview here 5.5MB

New members were appointed to the National Dairy Board today by U. S. Secretary of Ag, Mike Johanns, along with some reappointments.

Newly appointed were: Ronald L. Koetsier, Visalia, Calif., (region 2); William R. D. Anglin, Bentonville, Ark., (region 4); Donna L. Sharp, Bath, S.D., (region 5); Carl F. VanDen Avond, Green Bay, Wis., (region 6); Bradford A. McCauley, Viola, Wis., (region 6); Douglas D. Nuttelman, Stromsburg, Neb., (region 7); Carl A. Schmitz, Wadesville, Ind., (region 9); Joyce A. Bupp, Seven Valleys, Penn., (region 11); and Ronald R. McCormick, Java Center, N.Y., (region 12). Debora A. Erb, Landaff, N. H., (region 13)

Reappointed to serve second terms were: Lester E. Hardesty, Windsor, Colo., (region 3) and Michael M. Ferguson, Senatobia, Miss., (region 8).

The 2005 World’s Forage Analysis Superbowl continues to expand. This year, the 22nd World’s Forage Analysis Superbowl offers growers from across the United States and Canada one more contest category for their high quality forages. New this year is the split of the Dairy Division Corn Silage into two categories: Standard Dairy Corn Silage and Dairy Corn Silage (BMR).

“This new category is a logical addition. The new category showcases a wider range of options for producers to observe results to select a variety that works in their operation. With definite differences in the two types of corn silage, what fits for one dairy may not work in another,” said Steve Peterson, World Forage Analysis Superbowl Committee Chairperson.

Additional contest categories include Hay and Baleage within the Commercial Division and Hay and Haylage within the Dairy Division.

Visit here for more information, including entry form.

The Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium has awarded a grant to the World Dairy Expo and AgSource/CRI to advance animal identification efforts in Wisconsin. According to WLIC, ” An animal movement reporting pilot project, by AgSource/CRI and World Dairy Expo, will develop a system that will facilitate the recording and reporting of animals, from WI and other states, to World Dairy Expo and the Dane County Fair.”

All projects will provide premises and animal ID data to the WLIC system. WLIC feels strongly that initiating animal ID pilot projects will help address specific questions producers and industry have in implementing a national animal ID program. Regional and species differences require different approaches. By adhering to national standards compatibility will be maintained.

In case you’ve never met Tom McKittrick, the man who manages the World Dairy Expo, now you can hear him! Chuck interviewed Tom recently at the World Dairy Expo headquarters. Tom talks about what the mission and purpose of Expo and it’s structure.

You can hear my interview with Tom here

I don’t know how many trips like the one being organized by Cornell University Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County there are but they sure sound like fun. If you are in the St. Lawrence County area you can find details on their trip here: World Dairy Expo Bus Trip (pdf file)

Anyone else organizing a trip to World Dairy Expo? If so, email us here and we’ll try to get the information posted. Email World Dairy Diary

Here’s the kind of story about the dairy industry you want to see more of. In the Herald-Mail Online, they recently ran a story about Hannah Smith, Sharpsburg, MD, who hopes to win big at World Dairy Expo someday. You can see the full story here: Heral-Mail Story

Hannah is one of the most motivated high school students I’ve read about recently. I sure wish we could see more stories like this in the media! Good luck Hannah and we hope your dream comes true.

We’d like to welcome our newest supporter to the offical weblog of the World Dairy Expo. The Holstein Association is one of growing list of companies and organizations who are helping make this online diary of information about the Expo possible.

The Holstein Association just completed it’s annual meeting in Portland, Maine. You can learn all about it on their website.

Special thanks to Lisa Perrin for her support and we look forward to working with the Holstein Association in supporting the event!